ENGELS,ANGEL MEADOW AND THE IRISH

I loved this book and I would advise anyone with an Irish connection to purchase it.

The title of this privately produced publication and the Amazon-listed summary provide an impression of something - especially for those readers already intimately familiar with the notorious history of the 19th century Manchester slum area of Angel Meadow, and the investigations therein of Friedrich Engels - which will prove to be a will o'the wisp. The author has used the earlier correspondence of his Irish family living in the relevant areas of 19th century Manchester, with due nods to Engels's own accounts and the recent authoritative history of Angel Meadow by Dean Kirby, it contributes nothing more to such accounts. Instead, most of the book consists of letters from a daughter/sister of the family, Mary Connolly, who entered an English convent in May 1881 and died on 28 February 1887 (of scrofula abdominal abscess) just recounting (in somewhat tedious detail) her religious experiences to her mother. Following is an account through family correspondence of the lives of the descendants of the original Irish couple who started it all in 1859 onwards, Bridget Tierney, Patrick Connolly who died and was replaced by one John Hynes. Again, nothing therein of much relevance to the expectations aroused by the title and summary. This publication of 63 pages was privately produced, and it shows in the poor management of the written English and other errors, which might have benefited from the labours of an independent proof reader.(purchased from Amazon by my wife)